BIG, NAVI secure one-sided victories in Malta

Day one of the RMR has concluded, with both BIG and Natus Vincere finishing with a win apiece.

Natus Vincere and BIG ended the inaugural day of the IEM Road to Rio Europe RMR with lopsided victories over Sangal and Illuminar, respectively. The two squads now progress to the 1-0 pool of the Major-qualifying event, with the next set of matches due to play out on Wednesday.

BIG performed solidly in their matchup versus the European mix despite Josef "⁠faveN⁠" Baumann being sidelined from the event due to illness. In the same vein, the 22-year-old's replacement, Elias "⁠s1n⁠" Stein, impressed in his debut match with the main squad, averaging a 1.58 rating and 16-5 K-D.

Read more

faveN to miss RMR through illness

Natus Vincere were also in control for much of their opening game versus the Poles, brushing aside their competition as they join the 1-0 pool after a ruthless 16-5 showing. The Ukrainian-majority roster have Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov to thank for their quick victory, with the captain leading at the front of the pack with 41 kills by the end of the best-of-one. Illuminar, who secured their place at the RMR as a last-minute replacement for Benched Heroes, will look to rebound from this opening loss in their 0-1 game on October 5.

BIG and Sangal paid a trip to Mirage to get their opening game in Malta underway, with the Germans getting off to a comfortable 6-0 start thanks to Johannes "⁠tabseN⁠" Wodarz, who led his team by example with 13 frags to his name. BIG continued to pile on the pressure as the half progressed, adding a further eight rounds to their tally to post a command 14-1 lead by the switch.

Sangal got back on the board with a two-round spree to get the second half going. BIG's trouncing didn't let up, however, with the Germans winning the two remaining rounds they needed to put the map to bed, 16-3. tabseN was a man on a mission throughout the entirety of the map, putting up 27 frags and a 2.19 rating to power his side to victory.

Natus Vincere and Illuminar began their campaigns to secure an appearance at IEM Major Rio with a visit to Dust2, the world No. 2 roster wasting no time in accruing a solid 7-1 start on the defense — electroNic notably having profound impact as the in-game leader with 19 kills. Natus Vincere built on this lead without too much resistance, conceding just three more rounds to go up 12-3 by the half's end.

A 1vs4 by electroNic extended Natus Vincere's lead even further to get the second half afoot. The game then descended into a back-and-forth affair, both teams exchanging one-round statements to have the score settle at 5-14. In the end, Natus Vincere's prowess was too much for the Poles to overcome, with the side going on to win the map 16-5 to move go 1-0 up at the RMR. electroNic was in a completely different league of his own versus the Polish squad, putting up a gargantuan 41 kills by the end of the 21-round map.